Clinical / Counseling

The Clinical/Counseling Concentration: Students taking the Clinical/Counseling concentration are provided with the knowledge and skills needed for graduate clinical/counseling work as well as entry level positions in schools, rehabilitation facilities, research institutes, and mental health hospitals. Our emphasis on critical thinking teaches students to …

speak and write clearly

analyze data and effectively interpret findings

create logical, professional-level presentations

A popular choice: In 1999, the first year of the program, we had 5 Clinical/Counseling graduates. We now graduate about 20 each year. Half of all Psychology Majors are Clinical/Counseling concentrators.

Why the concentration is special: Students learn research and clinical skills typically taught in master’s level programs. Both diagnosis and treatment are emphasized through hands-on engagement.

Supervised internships are plentiful. We encourage eligible students to complete two credit-bearing internships to gain experience in practical settings so that they have direct interaction with clients. See internship page for more.

Clinical/Counseling students have access to biofeedback equipment and other psychophysiological tools that reveal how physical measures are affected by psychological variables.

Counseling sessions are simulated, and feedback is provided for personal development. Guided by a faculty mentor, students have opportunities to become more self-aware, more perceptive of nonverbal communication, and more appreciative of diversity.

Students can learn to administer psychoeducational tests, including motor tasks and measures of achievement, intelligence, language, and visual perception.

Close training in clinical report writing is regularly offered.

Students are invited to take a full year of psychopathology which allows for deep explorations regarding the etiology, symptoms, and treatments of a large variety of behaviors and diagnoses.

Close faculty-student interaction: All students work closely with a faculty member on a senior research project involving some aspect of diagnosis or treatment that is of interest to the student. By graduation, most students have worked on at least one additional project with a faculty member and played a role in presenting the findings at a regional psychology conference.

Outcomes: Our graduates are accepted to graduate programs in clinical psychology, counseling psychology, social work, public health, school psychology, occupational therapy and related fields. Some students immediately go on to positions as clinical researchers, residential counselors, therapeutic assistants, and careers in education and child care administration